Friday Photo: Selly Oak Library

Today’s Friday photo is the Selly Oak Library building. It is a grade II listed building that was designed by architect John P. Osborne and constructed in 1905. The site was a gift from local businessman Thomas Gibbins, owner of the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company. The Gibbins family were philanthropists who also donated the land for Selly Oak Park to the local people. The red brick and terracotta and stone dressings of Selly Oak Library look very similar to Stirchley Library, another recent Friday photo subject that was also designed by the architect John P. Osborne. Topped again with a louvred wooden ventilation turret and another wonderful font used for the FREE LIBRARY lettering. Both libraries are Carnegie libraries, meaning that they were funded in part with money donated by Scottish businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Around 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929.